Let-off mechanism for looms.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

' A. E. BENSON. LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED HOV.'15, 1905.

1m: upmus PETE R s cm. wasnmcron o. c

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. BENSON, OF AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COMPANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF MAINE.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR Looms.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed NW m r 15,1905. Serial No. 287,387.

Patented Aug. 28 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. BENSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Agricultural College, county of Oktibbeha,

State of MlSSlSSlP81, have invented an Imrovement in Letff-Controlling Mechanism or Looms, of which the following descrip tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates particularly to letoff mechanism for looms; and it has for its object the production of means for arresting the operation of such mechanism and turning back the same when the normal operation of the loom is temporarily interrugtedas, for instance, by an abnormal con ition of the filling.

In a loom provided with automatic fillin 2o replenishing mechanism the actuation of such mechanism to effect filling replenishment is a temporary interruption in the normal operation of the loom.

Means have been provided heretofore to ar- 2 5 rest take-up and sometimes also to let back "one or more picks when the filling breaks in order to prevent the formation of thin places in the cloth before the new filling has been laid in the shed, for even in automatic filling- 3o replenishing looms one or more picks will be made without filling unless the loom is of the feeler type, so called. This is well so far as it goes, but the cloth is slackened by letback even when the let-off mechanism is ar- 5 rested, so that when the normal operation of the loom is resumed there is always a chance for a crack to be made because there is nothing to take care of or govern the slackened cloth and warp.

0 In my present invention I have provided means to turn back the let-off mechanism when its operation is arrested, the turningback occurring while the loom is running with- 'out filling and the take-up is arrested. Such turning-back takes care of slack warp and tightens it so that when the la beats up to the fell of the cloth after the esh filling is laid the warp is under tension and the filling will be properly beaten in as though no change had occurred in the running of the loom, and the formation of a crack is prevented.

The arrest of the let-off mechanism is not new; but so far as I am aware it is broadly new to turn back the let-off when arrested upon the occurrence of a change in the normal operation of the loom.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a right-hand side elevation of a portion of a loom with one embodiment of my replenshing mechanism be' connection with the loom; an Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in side elevation of a portion of the mechanism embodying my invention, to be hereinafter referred to.

The filling-replenishing mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a filling-feeder F, mounted on the breast-beam A and adapted to contain the filling-carriers 6* and the transferrer f to transfer the filling-carriers singly to the running-shuttle upon the occurrence of an abnormal condition of the filling, such as failure thereof due to breakage or exhaustion, said mechanism operating in well-known manner.

Means to control the time of operation of such mechanism includes an operating rockshaft (1, having an n turned arm (2 to be en aged byslide d o the weft-fork (1, said sli e being moved outward upon failure of filling to rock-shaft d in the d1rection of arrow 10, all substantially as in the United States patent to Northrop, No. 529,940.

The warp-beam B, from which the warp passes over the whip-roll W, the mechanism for effecting let-off and comprising the beamear B, ratchet B 006 crating actuatingawl d the compoun aWl-carrier 0 (1, ulcrumed at c the link connected with the lay-sword the arm W attached to the rocking whi -rol1 supports W", the link a, connecting said arm and the pawl-carrier, and the spring S may be and are all substantially as in United States patent to Draper & Roper, No. 647,815, date April 17, 1900.

So far as my invention is concerned, however, any other suitable positively-actuated mechanism for efiecting et-oif may be employed.

invention applied thereto, automatic filling-' illustrated in The step-by-step advanceof the ratchet B mation of a crack in the clot kee the spring 8 un is effected through the actuating-pawl cl by the swinging movement of the lay acting through link (1 in well-known manner. In order to arrest the operation of the letofl mechanism, a pawl-controller h h is fulcrumed at 71) on the loom side, the part h havin a lateral lug 71,2 (see dotted lines, Fig. 1) in t e path of movement of a rocker-arm (1, fast on and dependin from the rockshaft (1, the parts normally occupying the position shown. On the part h an elongated flange k is provided, extended above a tail cl of the pawl (1 so that when the rockshaft (1 is turned in the direction of arrow 10 the arm (1 depresses the part it of the pawlcontroller, bringing the flange k into enga ement with the awl-tail (1 to thereby lift the awl d and isengage it from the ratchet This mechanism 1s, as described, similar .to the pawl-controller shown in United States Patent No. 710,024, ranted to Stimpson September 30, 1902, the operation just described taking place upon the occurrence of an abnormal condition of the filling.

In my resent invention I provide for automatically reversing or turning back the letoff mechanism when the operation thereof is thus arrested in order that when new filling is laid the warp will be under tension as the lay A beats up in order to revent the for To this end I have herein shown a second ratchet 1, having its teeth arranged reversely to the teeth of ratchet B the two ratchets being concentric and rigidly connected in any suitable manner.

A reversing or turnin -back pawl 2 is fulcrumed at 3 on the link and so arranged as to at times cooperate with the ratchet 1, a rod 4, pivotally connected with the tail 6 of the pawl 2, having its upper end extended loosely through a rocking stud 7, extended outward from the tail (Z of the pawl d. A spring 5 normally acts to throw said actuating-pawl into engagement with its ratchet B and a spring 8, coiled around the rod 4, is attached at its ends to the stud 7 and to a collar 9 on the rod 4, so that the spring can act by compression while normally servin to yieldmgly connect the rod 4 and the tail of the pawl d The s rim 5 normally acts to er slight tension, thereby oldinglpawl 2 inoperative.

When't e pawl-controller h h is operated as described, the pawl d is rendered inoperative; but as the flange h de resses the tail (1 the spring18 is compresse suificiently to push down t e rod 4, and the turning-back pawl 2 is swung on its pivot 3 and brought into operative engagement with its ratchet 1, so that the latter is turned in the direction of arrow 20, and the let-off mechanism is positively turned back by the movement of the lay and the link (1 as the lay swings back so long a s the pawl-controller h h is in its operative position. The spring 8 retains the pawl 2 operative, while permitting it to click over the teeth of the ratchet 1 when the lay swings forward, and when the pawl d is allowed to rengage its ratchet the spring 8 expands to normal condition, and pawl 2 is rendered inoperative. Such turning back acts to tighten the warp, so that when the new filling is laid the lay as it beats up to the fell of the cloth will beat in such new fillin properly without a crack, it being understood that the return of the rock-shaft d to normal position permits rengagement of pawl (1 and its ratchet B while the pawl 2 is disengaged simultaneously from the ratchet 1.

The loom is thus restored to its normal operation and runs as usual until an abnormal condition of the filling again calls into action the mechanism hereinbcfore described.

A spring 17 may be used to restore the pawl-controller h h to normal position, one end of the spring being secured to a fixed in 18 on the loom side (see Fig. 1) and the ot er end to the part h,

The length of flange k permits the swinging movement of the pawl-carrier when the flange is in engagement with the pawl-tail d I have herein shown one practical embodiment of my invention; but the latter is not restricted to the construction herein shown and described, for the same maybe varied or modified in details by those skilled in the art, for so far as I am aware it is broadly new to provide for turning back the letoff mechanism by or through a change in the operation of the loom-such, for instance, as the occurrence of an abnormal condition of the filling.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a loom, in combination, filling-replenishing mechanism, let-off mechanism, and means to arrest the operation thereof and turn the same back by or through actuation of the replenishing mechanism.

2. In a loom, in combination, let-off mechanism, and means operative b or through an abnormal condition of the ling to arrest the operation of said mechanism and positively turn the same back, to thereby prevent the formation of la crack when the normal operation of the loom is resumed.

3. In a loom, let-off mechanism, a controlling rock-shaft, means to turn it b or through an abnormal condition of the ling, and means governed by such turning of the rock-shaft to arrest the o eration of the letoii mechanism and positively turn the same back.

4. In a loom, in combination, filling-replenishing mechanism, let-ofl mechanism, I means to arrest its operation when the replenishing mechanism is actuated, and a device to automatically turn back said letoff mechanism when its operation is thus arrested.

5. In a loom, in combination, let-off mechanism, including an actuating-pawl and a carrier therefor, a normally inoperative turning-back pawl, and means operative by or through an abnormal condition of the filling to render the actuatingawl inoperative and the turning-back paw operative until the normal action of the loom 1s resumed. f

6. A loom having in combination a controllin rock-shaft, means to turn it b or throug an abnormal condition of the fil g, let-off mechanism, including an actuatingpawl and a ratchet with which it normally cooperates, a turning-back ratchet and pawl, normally ino erative, and means governed by turmng 0 saidrock-shaft to render inoperative the actuating-pawl and effect cooperation between the turning-back pawl and its ratchet.

7. A loom having a warp-beam, and positively-acting let-ofi mechanism therefor, including a pawl and ratchet, combined with an oppositely-acting pawl and ratchet to reversely rotate said warp-beam, and means operative by or through an abnormal condit1on of the filling to release the warp-beam from control of the let-off pawl and ratchet and cause the reversing-pawl and ratchet toassume control of the beam.

8. In a loom having a warp-beam, and positively-acting means to effect let-off of the warp on said beam, in combination, automatlc means to turn back the warp-beam, and an instrumentality actin automatically upon a change in the o eration of the loom due to an abnormal con ition of the filling to arrest the operation of said let-off means and render operative the means to turn back the warp-beam.

9. In a loom provided with automaticfilling-replenishing mechanism, means to govern t e time of operation thereof, let-off mechanism including an actuating pawl and ratchet, and a device actuated by the operation of said governing means to disengage said pawl and ratchet, and prevent rengagement until filling replenishment has been effected, combined with turning-back means for the let-ofi mechanism rendered operative by said device when the actuating-pawl and ratchet are disengaged.

10. In a loom, incombination, a warpbeam, means to rotate it, including an actuating pawl and ratchet and a vibrating pawlcarrier, an o positely-toothed ratchet rotatable with t e actuating-ratchet, a turnin back awl to cooperate with the secondnamed ratchet, a yielding connection between the pawls, to maintain one inoperative when the other cooperates with its ratchet, and vice versa, and means, acting by or through a change in the normal operation of the loom due to an abnormal condition of the filling to throw out the actuating-pawl and render o erative temporarily the turningback paw l.

11. In a loom, in combination, filling-replenishing mechanism, letoff mechanism, and means to turn the same back automatically upon actuation of the replenishing mechanism.

12. In a loom, in combination, a lay, a warp-beam, means to rotate it, including an actuating pawl and ratchet operated by or through movement of the lay, an oppositelytoothed ratchet rotatable with the actuatingratchet, a turning-back pawl to cooperate with the second-named ratchet, actuated by the lay, a connection between said pawls to maintain one inoperative when the other cooperates with its ratchet, and vice versa, and means acting by or through a change in the normal operation of the loom due to an abnormal condition of the filling, to throw out the actuating-pawl and render operative temporarily the turning-back pawl.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ARTHUR E. BENSON.

Witnesses:

ROBERT OooKE, JAMES S. 00mm. 

